SMS Möwe (auxiliary cruiser)

SMS "Moewe" ("Seagull") was an auxiliary cruiser of the Imperial German Navy which operated as a commerce raider during World War I.

Early history

Built by the Tecklenborg yard at Geestemünde, she was launched as the freighter "Pungo" in 1914 and operated by the Afrikanissche Fruchtkompanie for F Laeisz of Hamburg. After an uneventful career carrying cargoes of bananas from the German colony of Kamerun to Germany she was requisitioned by Kaiserliche Marine for use as a minelayer. Her conversion took place at Kaiserliche Werft in Wilhelmshaven in the autumn of 1915,and under the command of Nikolaus, Burggraf und Graf zu Dohna-Schlodien, she entered service on 1st November that year.

1st Raiding voyage

"Moewe" slipped out of Wilhelmshaven on 29 December 1915 for her first task, to set a minefield in the Pentland Firth, near the main base of the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. This was completed in severe weather conditions and bore fruit … days later when the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS|King Edward VII struck a mine and sank. "Moewe" then moved down the west coast of Ireland to France. There she laid another mine field off the Gironde estuary, which sank a further two ships.

This part of her mission complete, "Moewe" then moved into the Atlantic, operating first between Spain and the Canary islands, and later off the coast of Brazil. In 3 months she caught 15 ships, 2 of which were sent, with cargo and prisoners, to port as prizes; the rest were sunk. She returned to Germany, and a heroes welcome, on 4 April 1916.

Interlude as "Vineta"

In an effort to maintain security, "Moewe" was re-named Vineta, after another auxiliary cruiser which had been withdrawn from service. In this guise she set out on a series of short cruises during the summer of 1916 to attack allied shipping off the coast of Norway. This only brought one success, however, before she was ordered in for a re-fit prior to another sortie into the Atlantic.

2nd raiding voyage

Departing on 23 November 1916, "Moewe" had even more success on her second cruise into the Atlantic. In 4 months she accounted for another 25 ships totalling GRT|123,265. One off these, SS|Yarrowdale was sent as prize to Germany; which as Dohna Schlodien hoped, was outfitted as a commerce raider herself. "Moewe" also retained SS|Saint Theodore as a collier, before arming and commissioning her as the auxiliary "Geier". "Geier" operated in this role for 6 weeks, accounting for two ships sunk, before being disarmed and scuttled by "Moewe" prior to returning home.In March 1917 Moewe again successfully ran the British blockade, ironically at the same time as her prize, now the auxiliary cruiser "Leopard", was cornered and sunk by the same blockading force. "Moewe" arrived home safely on 22 March 1917.

Later history

On her return "Moewe" was de-commissioned as a raider, being counted to valuable as a propaganda tool to be risked again. She served in the Baltic as a submarine tender, before becoming the auxiliary minelayer "Ostsee" in 1918. After the Treaty of Versailles, she went to Britain, to be operated by Elder Fyffes as the freighter "Greenbrier". In 1933 she returned to Germany, as the freighter "Oldenburg", and served as such in World War II. On 7 April 1945 she was torpedoed off the coast of Norway - near the village of Vadheim in Sogn og Fjordane county - and sunk.

Further reading

*Hoyt, Edwin P "Elusive Seagull" (Frewin 1970) ISBN 0091015707.
*Hoyt, Edwin Palmer "The Phantom Raider" (Ty Crowell Co 1969) ISBN 0690617321.
*Schmalenbach, Paul "German raiders: A history of auxiliary cruisers of the German Navy, 1895-1945" (Naval Institute Press 1979) ISBN 0870218247.

External links

* [http://smsmoewe.com/ Count Dohna and His SeaGull]